Insights on Dietary Polyphenols as Agents against Metabolic Disorders: Obesity as a Target Disease

Abstract

Obesity is a condition that leads to increased health problems associated with metabolic disorders. Synthetic drugs are available for obesity treatment, but some of these compounds have demonstrated considerable side effects that limit their use. Polyphenols are vital phytonutrients of plant origin that can be incorporated as functional food ingredients. This review presents recent developments in dietary polyphenols as anti-obesity agents. Evidence supporting the potential application of food-derived polyphenols as agents against obesity has been summarized. Literature evidence supports the effectiveness of plant polyphenols against obesity. The anti-obesity mechanisms of polyphenols have been explained by their potential to inhibit obesity-related digestive enzymes, modulate neurohormones/peptides involved in food intake, and their ability to improve the growth of beneficial gut microbes while inhibiting the proliferation of pathogenic ones. Metabolism of polyphenols by gut microbes produces different metabolites with enhanced biological properties. Thus, research demonstrates that dietary polyphenols can offer a novel path to developing functional foods for treating obesity. Upcoming investigations need to explore novel techniques, such as nanocarriers, to improve the content of polyphenols in foods and their delivery and bioavailability at the target sites in the body.

Influence of Polyphenols on Adipose Tissue: Sirtuins as Pivotal Players in the Browning Process

“…Clinical evidence reveals an inverse correlation between BAT and age with higher levels confirmed in young adults, gradually decreasing with aging [35,36]. A similar inverse relationship was also observed between BAT and body mass index (BMI) suggesting a correlation with overweight and obesity [36,37]. In general, the amount of BAT in adults is quite low, decreases with aging, and is inversely proportional to BMI [33,38].…”

“…They share many beneficial effects in a wide range of organs and tissues, exhibiting antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-senescence properties [56][57][58][59][60][61][62]. Recently, the potential activity of polyphenols in the regulation of lipid metabolism has also aroused particular interest [37,63]. Among the different pathways modulated by polyphenols and those involved in the regulation of the browning process, sirtuins represent interesting players (Figure 1).…”

Dietary phenolic compounds as promising therapeutic agents for diabetes and its complications: A comprehensive review

“…Phenolic compound anthocyanins demonstrate anti‐inflammatory properties that can treat chronic hyperglycemia (Sun et al., 2014 ). Anti‐obesity properties of dietary phenolic compounds may be mediated by a variety of methods, including inhibition of enzymes, suppression of neuro‐hormones that regulate appetite and satiety, and promotion of mitochondrial biogenesis (Aloo et al., 2023 ). Phenolic compounds possess the capacity to activate AMPK and peroxisome proliferator‐activate receptor α (PPARα), leading to the inhibition of acetyl‐CoA carboxylase (ACC) and fatty acid synthase, both of which are enzymes responsible for the production of long‐chain fatty acids (Singh et al., 2020 ; Wang et al., 2022 ).…”

Plasma Carotenoids and Polyphenols and Their Association with MetS: The Need for Nutritional Interventions

“…Polyphenols have also been shown to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antithrombotic properties. They can improve vascular endothelial functions, insulin secretion, and can lower blood pressure, which is highly beneficial in treating cardiometabolic disorders [8][9][10]. Polyphenols are a group of compounds divided into five main classes: flavonoids, phenolic acids, stilbenes, lignans, and others, found in foods and beverages commonly consumed by humans [11][12][13].…”